This week, the New England Patriots are staring down a brutal 1-3 start, and it is a must-win situation on the road against the Buffalo Bills. If they drop this one, the Bills grab a three-game lead in the AFC East standings, plus the head-to-head tiebreaker. This isn’t just another game, it is about setting the tone for the entire division, and for New England, it is about avoiding a full-blown meltdown.
Maye’s MVP Run Is A Fading Memory
What the heck is going on with Drake Maye? Seriously. After finishing last season as a leading contender for MVP, he turned in a middling postseason run. But honestly, so far this season, Maye has been absolutely terrible. He is completing just 58% of his passes, has only one touchdown, and is saddled with a league-leading six interceptions. For context, he threw only eight regular season interceptions on 492 passing attempts last season! It is a massive drop-off.
On top of the turnovers, Maye has been sacked nine times already and fumbled twice. He just does not look confident out there, forcing bad throws into coverage, and he is a huge reason why the Patriots offense has scored a pathetic 36 points this season. The guy has plenty of talent, we know that, and he is going to turn it around eventually. The Bills are just hoping he waits at least one more week before that happens. His decline, from MVP-level to pedestrian, actually started against Buffalo late last season, and he has not made any adjustments since. Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has the blueprint on how to limit New England’s passing game, and if Maye has another game with multiple interceptions, you can bet the Bills will have a big day. It would make for a rough morning on Boston-area talk radio, that is for sure.
Can Henderson Take The Pressure Off?
With all due respect to Rhamondre Stevenson, who is a solid running back, it is TreVeyon Henderson who truly offers the most upside for the Patriots. If he can manage to find some space against Buffalo’s run fronts, it would take some much-needed pressure off Maye. Success in the run game does not just lead to manageable downs, it also opens up the play-action pass. For a quarterback who is struggling as much as Maye, a play-action game is a total godsend, allowing for simple, “this-or-that” reads against defenders who are constantly a step behind.
Henderson has the speed to score from anywhere on the field and the strength to pick up whatever tough yards are necessary. If Buffalo can somehow limit him, then it means Maye has to win the game with his arm. And frankly, that is something he just has not been able to do this season.
The Bills might have pulled off some magic last week against the Chargers, overcoming five turnovers for a 24-16 win, but they cannot bank on that again. For them, this is about playing to their standard and stamping their authority on the AFC East early. For the Patriots, it is about survival. Every snap on Sunday is going to be massive for these teams.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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